Stamford raises amid cutbacks are outrageous

Devils Advocate wrote:

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I've pretty much said what I needed to say, but just to be clear, as I pointed out in my second point, I too believe they should be paid fairly. But my definition of fair pay is not benchmarked against corporate pay. Please don't twist my words around.

Your point is larger. It exposes the fallacy of level fields between corporate and government pay.
The whole notion is an oxymoron.
Government exists to deliver a service - its product - but not a profit. Business - which does not work or pay by the same rules - exists to deliver a profit on its product.
The mistaken notion that government should run "like a business," and that the Mayor should be able to "act like a C-E-O" is the root of many local problems.
This is not to say that government should not serve as effecvtively as possible. But, it is to say that the Mayor's powers are not without restraint, and he can't "act like a C-E-O," even though he'd like to, and tries to. Though they have been diluted, checks and balances are still the rule for government. So,
there really never is an apples-to-apples comparison possible with business.

Publius wrote:

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I'm sorry if you think i am twisting your words. That is not my intention. You and i have a different perspective.
I am less concerned with how "fair" their pay is, and more concerned with their pay being "competitive". That doesnt mean "equal", but it does mean that there shouldn't be so much difference that good employees seek work elsewhere, and that it is hard to hire good people to replace them.
I benchmark to corporate because that's where most of the competition is. There are many cities where people work for the government because there are few opportunities in the private sector. That does not describe Stamford. Stamford (Fairfield County) has a vibrant private sector with low unemployment and many job opportunities outside of government.

Thank you for clarifying. I didn't think it was intentional, but I did want to ensure my points were not misunderstood none the less.

Thank you also for clarifying your point about fair vs. competitive. As you correctly pointed out, my arguments are based on fair pay, yours on competitive pay. I think somewhere in our discussions, that distinction got muddled.